Missing
by twotailedfox
Summary: When awoken in the middle of the night, Sonic recieves a mysterious phone he's never seen before. When sent a video of his best friend, Tails, tied up and beaten with a gun trained to his head, Sonic is instructed that he has five hours to figure out where Tails is or else Tails dies. Can Sonic, along with the help of his friends, find Tails in time or will he remain 'Missing?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The sun had long since conceded the land to the encroaching darkness that had ebbed its way across the small town. The townsfolk locked their doors, drew their shutters and retired to the safety of their cozy beds as the streets were bathed in darkness. No moon draped its luminescence over the houses that night. It was unable to break through the thick, looming cumulonimbus clouds that stormed ahead bringing with them torrential downpour.

Sonic slept soundly in his satin bed, the rhythmic pitter-patter of tiny raindrops clattering against his tin roof lulling him to sleep. The howling winds lashed at the swaying trees outside and the low cackle of thunder rolled across the heavens. Slowly, everything seemed to silence and freeze as if time itself had stopped. The rain ceased and the winds fell silent. Suddenly, a bright streak of glaring silver split through the sky, coupled with a mighty crack that would scare the bravest of men. The storm continued more ferociously afterwards as Sonic sprang awake and alert.

He swiveled his head around, his eyes darting back and forth as he scanned his room. He glazed over his desk, his cupboard with door swinging ajar and the piles of clothes flung haphazardly across the fuchsia carpet. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Sonic sighed, his heartrate dropping as he ran a lanky hand through his tangled cobalt quills. He yawned as he lay back down, his head sinking into his marshmallow pillow.

That's when he heard it. At first, quiet and insignificant. Sonic barely stirred, but that's when it sounded again, louder and more forceful this time. Knock, knock. There was no denying it, somebody was at the door.

'Who would be out and about at this time of night in this storm,' Sonic wondered as he flung his feet off the bed and slipped them into his socks. He stretched his arms upwards, letting out another hearty yawn as he stood up and scooped his hoodie off the floor. He hurriedly threw it around him as he descended the stairs, staving off the coldness of his empty, spacious house.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he called out in an irritated tone as he rushed towards the door. The persistent person continued to slam the brass knocker against his mahogany door relentlessly. Sonic grumbled lowly to himself as he flung opened it and announced, "What do you want…"

He trailed off. There was nobody there. He was greeted with only darkness and a gust of wind that billowed around through his jumper, cooling his clammy skin.

"Hello?" Sonic called cautiously into the darkened abyss that the outside world presented him. Small flecks of water sprinkled his ankles, dampening his silky pajama bottoms as the rain pelted the marble step underneath his porch. Sonic looked around, trying to decipher just what was going on when he saw something. A small cardboard box, held together by tape lay on the ground.

Sonic furrowed his brows, confused as he leant down and picked it up. Sonic took another look outside to see if he could spot perhaps the faint headlights of a delivery truck driving into the distance or any other indication of somebody who could have left this package, but he found none. He shrugged and inspected the box. He clamped his hands around it, piercing one end of the taped box with a nail. He dragged his nail over it before pushing his fingers inside and with a mighty tug, wrenched open the cardboard flaps.

Sonic peered inside, but what he found confused him. He reached in and pulled out a mobile smart phone. He pressed the circular button on the front and the screen blared to life. Sonic gasped upon seeing the picture on the lock screen, his shaky hand almost dropping the phone from his grasp as he froze. His eyes widened, their emerald centers hazing over with fear and dread. There, displayed out to him was a picture of his best friend sitting in a darkened room. The only thing illuminating his figure was a low-hanging lamp. His ankles and wrists were strapped to a rusted, wooden chair and his face and body looked bruised and bloodied. His tattered clothes were torn and scratched and a blindfold was positioned over his eyes. A small, dirty sock was stuffed into his mouth as a gag.

Sonic's paralysis quickly ceased when the phone buzzed in his hand. A small text appeared from a number he did not recognize on this phone he had just received.

 _Unlock the phone_

Sonic began to sweat as he quickly took another look at his front yard and the cobblestone street with flooded gutters drowned in rain. Still no sign of any movement. Sonic turned his attention back to the phone as he slid his finger across the screen to unlock it. However, he was presented with a five-letter passcode. Sonic racked his brain, trying to understand why whoever was doing this to him would force him to unlock it without removing the passcode. That's when it hit him and instinctively, Sonic began pressing the letters on the screen.

 _T-A-I-L-S_

The lock screen dissipated in a fade as he gained entrance to the main part of the phone. Before Sonic had any opportunity to pry through the phone's images, videos, contacts or applications another text came through.

 _Watch this – One image attached_

Sonic was skeptical but the adrenaline that pumped through his veins forced him to continue. He opened the message and pressed play on a small, thirty second video that was presented as nothing but a black screen first.

He felt sick to his stomach as bile slowly climbed its way up his esophagus, threatening to exit out his mouth at the images he was seeing. Tails, his best friend for as long as he could remember was back in the same dingy, closed off room that Sonic had seen him in previously. As the phone was recording, a cloaked figure, face obscured in shadows by a hood removed the gag from his mouth.

"Sonic, Sonic please," Tails begged, his eyes red rimmed with black bags sagging underneath. A gun was trained to his head, poking his temple with a finger on the trigger. His lips were chapped, split and bleeding. Scars ran across his forehead with fresh blood seeping out of some of the cuts. His short crop of blonde hair disheveled and messy. Sonic looked into his soulless, zaffre eyes devoid of hope. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you but please… please save me," Tails continued, trying to squirm free of his roped shackles. Before he could say anymore, the person beside him reeled back and smashed the back of Tails' head with the butt of his gun. Tails' neck fell limp as consciousness left his body and he slumped forward. The video cut off and another text was sent.

 _Alert the police and he dies_

Sonic just stared at the black screen, motionless as a thousand scenarios began to play out in his head, each one more torturous than the last. He might have stayed paralyzed for hours if not for an eerie, ominous tune that began playing from the phone's speakers as it vibrated in his hand.

 _Caller Unknown_

Sonic snapped out of his trance and immediately answered the phone, bringing it up to his ear.

"Hello. Who the hell is this and what did you do with Tails?" Sonic barked into the speaker, spittle flying from his mouth and staining the wet ground below.

"Five hours," a gruff, deep voice clearly altered via some form of electronic device replied through the receiver.

"Five hours? Until what?" Sonic replied frantically, getting more desperate by the second. Sonic glanced out, straining his eyes again at the stormy surroundings to see any sign of anybody but could see nobody. His door was left ajar as he stood there in his ashen timberwolf hoodie and red spotted pajama bottoms. The torrents continued to cascade down from the heavens and the powerful winds billowed around the desolate streets as Sonic stood in the doorway. "Answer me!" He bellowed.

"Five hours until the sun peaks over the horizon to signal dawn and five hours until the truth is revealed. Five hours to find Tails or five hours until… Tails dies!" The call ended.

* * *

 _A/N: Hey everybody, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of a new story that I'm starting. I've done romance, adventure, drama, mystery and horror so I think it's time I tried my hand at a thriller. If you enjoyed the first chapter, please don't forget to leave a review to let me know what you thought and consider following and favouriting. If you enjoyed this, why not check out the other stories I have written too :) I'll try to update this at lease once a fortnight but since I'm juggling three stories we will have to see. Anyway, have a great day :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Hey everybody, I hope you've been enjoying the story so far. Just a heads up that any paragraph that is in italics (Like this authros note is) are events that are taking place in a flashback. For example, in this chapter when Sonic looks at his hand he has a flashback to a point somewhere in the past. Anyway, enough from me, enjoy the chapter :)_

* * *

Chapter 2

Sonic stood at his doorstep, door still clattering against the walls of his house in the relentless, howling winds. He replayed the video again, his eyes scanning every detail to try and find even a hint of where Tails could be being kept, but discovered nothing.

Sonic racked his brain, trying to recall the conversation.

"They must have given me a clue. They must have… they must have," he repeated over and over, more and more pedantically. Sonic balled his hand into a fist and knocked his forehead gently in a futile effort to get his memory to work.

"What did he say? What did he say, what did he say!" Sonic began to yell as he progressively hit himself harder and harder until he got light headed. "This is useless!" he screamed, his anger, more at himself for being so useless than anything else, getting the better of him. He slammed his fist into the doorframe. He winced, the pain flooding through his veins as he let out a moan of agony.

Sonic glanced down at his bleeding knuckles, pulsating with his rapid heartbeat as memories of the past flooded to the forefront of his mind.

 _"_ _I'm just so sick of it," Sonic yelled as he paced back and forth in the room. "He just makes me so mad sometimes that I could just… Arg," Sonic growled as he punched the dry wall in Tails' bedroom, burying his fist deep into it. He howled in pain as he removed his hand, plaster cracking off and dusting the carpet below._

 _"_ _Sonic, c'mon it's not all that bad," Tails sighed as he hopped off the bed and strolled over to Sonic, grabbing his arm._

 _"_ _You don't understand. You don't have somebody in your life that just seems to try to stop you at every turn like Shadow does," Sonic complained as he unfurled his callous fingers and let Tails inspect them._

 _"_ _No, I don't," Tails soothed, carefully running his soft, dainty fingers over the back of Sonic's hand, ceasing each time he felt his friend tense up from pain. "But I do know that whenever something does piss me off, I can always just come hang out with my best friend and that makes me happy again." Sonic looked down at his shorter friend, noticing his beaming smile and couldn't help stop the small curve of his lips._

 _"_ _Yeah, we always do have the best times together, don't we," Sonic chuckled to himself as the door flung open and a blushing beauty entered the room, her short, pink quills draping down her back with a cute crimson headband fastened to the crest of her head._

 _"_ _Hey Sonic, what type of topping do you want on your… oh no, what happened to you?" Amy began before a hint of panic and concern flooded her voice and she rushed over to Sonic. She surveyed his bleeding, scared hands and quickly shook her head after noticing the hole in the wall, giggling slightly._

 _"_ _Look, what happened was-"_

 _"_ _Yeah, yeah, enough of your excuses," Amy interrupted. "Now come on, let's get that rinsed and disinfected from all that plaster. I've got some band-aid's in my purse too. It'll be fine," she decided, grabbing his arm and waving goodbye to Tails as she lead him out of the room._

 _"_ _You always were the best under pressure," Sonic smirked as he leant down to place his lips on hers briefly._

"Amy, she'll know what to do!" Sonic snapped his fingers as he reemerged from his memory, deciding that it was the best idea he could think of since time was of the essence. He had no time to change, opting to just stay in his hoodie and pajama bottoms as he slammed closed the door, fishing his keys out of the bowl situated next to it. Suddenly, before he could even take a step into the wild storm he felt another buzz in his pocket.

 _Times running out. Are you just going to stand there all night and let Tails die?_

Sonic grunted, tossing the phone back into his pocket before taking a deep breath and sprinting out into the storm. He didn't care about getting wet and he didn't falter from the cracks of thunder and flashes of lightning above. All he could think of was his best friend and how he was always there for him. Now it was Sonic's turn. He turned down the street, his bare feet pushing against the freezing cobblestone, propelling him towards his destination. Towards his fiancé's house.

…

Sonic arrived no more than ten minutes later, pounding his fist rapidly against the door. He waited patiently as he heard the clutter of objects and whispered swearing as somebody came to the door. The faint sound of something crashing to the floor filled the air and Sonic winced as the usually melodic words of Amy were replaced by those of a frustrated malice. Moments passed before the door was finally opened.

"Sonic, what are you doing here?" Amy gasped as her eyes grew wide with surprise. "It's way past midnight."

"I need your help," Sonic fired back almost immediately, completely skipping the pleasantries.

"You could have just called or waited until morning, silly," she giggled as she stepped out onto her fuzzy welcome mat, flung her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. She placed one hand on the back of his head, her hand running through his cobalt quills, the ring on her finger refracting her porch light out into the stormy street. Sonic quickly pushed her away, ignoring her hurt expression as he repeated himself, his disheveled and fatigued looking figure more obvious to the girl now.

"Please, I really need your help right now," he begged, the colour still drained from his face as his complexion held an almost ghostly reflection.

"You don't have to be so rude," she snapped back bitterly, the words rolling off her tongue laced with venom but she quickly softened, her standoffish nature replaced by that of concern when she got a better look at his face. "Sorry… is everything alright?"

"No, no it's not. Tails is… he's been kidnapped and I don't know what to do. I'm freaking out and I don't have much time and he's going to die and I got this phone and this call and I just don't know what to do and…" Sonic spewed out his words frantically, not taking any time to breath between sentences before exhausting his sore lungs that had still not recovered from his brisk sprint to Amy's house.

"Wait what… let me get this straight," Amy replied, trying to understand the situation and keep calm despite the erratic behaviour of her fiancé. "Somebody kidnapped Tails, gave you a phone and called you saying what exactly?"

"Amy, we don't have time for this. We need to save him we can't just stand around and talk," Sonic urged, his already thin patience running out as his panic rose inside of him.

"Sonic, we need to think this through or else he's already dead. You need to calm down and breathe," she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. She stared into his worried eyes, full of anguish and torment. Her calming stare pierced his defenses and he finally admitted defeat, taking a deep breath in through his nose, expelling it out of his mouth. He knew she was right.

"Thanks," Sonic muttered.

"So, have you called the cops yet?"

"I was told if I contacted them then Tails would be killed right on the spot. C'mon Amy, you and him were always the smart ones, not me. I really need your help, please," he begged, his hands pressed together and eyebrows arched as if he were praying to her.

"Sonic, don't worry. Tails is my friend too and we aren't going to let him die. I just need to think," she paused for a minute. "Have you tried Knuckles' place?"

"Why would Knuckles know where he is?"

"Don't Tails and Knuckles always hang out together on Thursday nights? If anyone had seen him last or knew where he went, it would be Knuckles," she offered her advice.

"Of course, why did I not know that? I'm supposed to be the best friend, no wonder I can't fucking find him. Maybe I'm just being taught a lesson to show how much of a screw up I am," Sonic cursed himself.

"Don't say that," Amy soothed him, snaking her hands around his middle and pulling him closer to her so that his chin rested on her head. He slowly wrapped his arms around her, sighing. "You're a great best friend, and a great boyfriend and if we stick together we can find this sicko and save Tails."

"Thanks Ames, I needed that," he let out another sigh as he quickly pressed his lips against hers again. "I'll head over to Knuckles' place. Can you try to search the web or something to see if there were any other, like, news articles or something about a freak doing this type of thing in the past."

"Of course, I'll do anything to help," she smiled as she released him.

"Call me if you find anything," he waved as he took off down the winding, gravel path, his ashen hoodie still completely drenched from the torrential downpour.

"Sonic," Amy called out. He paused, mid-way through opening the gate and stared back at her, his feet crushing the beautiful roses underneath him in the entrance way that he had missed in his haste. "We will save Tails."

"I know," he replied before slamming closed the gate and taking off in a sprint down the road and out of sight, like a man on a mission. Amy waited until his figure disappeared before she slowly closed the door.

"That was too close," She placed her back against the cold wood and let out a big sigh, glancing at the ring her fiancé had gave her, sparkling on her finger. Her eyes drifted from her displayed hand over to the tall lamp that had fallen in her haste to hide the truth, shattering to the ground.

"I thought you said he was sleeping at his tonight," a frustrated voice called out from the closet underneath her staircase. The small, shuttered door creaked open, unhooking from the lock underneath the banister and a black furred hedgehog stepped out. His ruby shoes crunched on the splintered pieces of glass from the light bulb that were peppered about on the ground.

"I didn't know he was going to come over," she hissed back, angry that he blamed her. "You didn't have to be so loud when trying to hide. You broke my lamp," she growled, frustration, relief that he had gone and worry for her friend washed around inside her.

"What was that about?" the hedgehog asked.

"Tails is in trouble. Nothing you would care about, Shadow."

"Hey, Sonic and I might not see eye to eye after how he treated you but Tails was always a friend," Shadow shot back, somewhat hurt by her malicious tone. "Since when did you ever care about him though?"

"Whatever, at least Sonic's gone now. I do hope he find's Tails though," she sighed again, genuine concern evident on her voice.

"In the meantime, this shouldn't ruin the mood," Shadow smirked as he picked her up and crashed his lips against hers in a passionate and lust filled display as the two fell back onto the couch they had been occupying themselves on not minutes prior.

* * *

 _A/N: Well, another chapter down. Please don't forget to leave a review to let me know what you thought if you enjoyed and if you have any theories yet about where you think Tails is, who you think is mastermining this whole thing or how this will all turn out :P I love reading them and they give me all the motivation I need. And, as always, thanks for reading._


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: I've had some people message me to ask what the approximate time frame did the flashback take place. As with this chapter's flashback, it isn't completely clear but by then end you will be able to put all the flashbacks in a timeframe and figure out when they happened. If people still have questions at the conclusion of the story I'll be sure to answer them. Also, words in **bold** mean they are what characters are reading. Anyway, enjoy the chapter :)_

* * *

Chapter 3

The storm continued to rage, thunder cracking through the sky and lighting flashing, illuminating searing silver across the heavens. The torrential downpour of rain only worsened, growing heavy as the droplets of water began to turn to those of ice almost as big as golf balls. They pelted Sonic's face, stinging his clammy skin and melting into his cobalt quills. He quickened his pace, braving the storm as he continued to sprint as fast as he could. His pulse raced as his heart beat faster than it ever had. He was fueled by adrenaline and fear. Nothing, not even this horrid storm, could stop him.

Sonic slowed to a jog as he rounded the street corner and came up on the brick-layered house. His shoes squelched through the mud of Knuckles' garden path that winded through towards the front door. Without waiting, Sonic pounded his fist against the door, ringing the doorbell frantically with his other hand.

"Shut up!" He heard a voice call from above. "I'm coming, I'm coming." Sonic waited, panting loudly as he heard heavy stomps race towards the door. Suddenly, the large door was flung open to reveal a disheveled and tired echidna. His long, damp dreds draped down to his shoulders, resting on his plain white t-shirt. His indigo eyes were deep and heavy, black bags hanging under his fatigued eyes. He wore thin pants and socks that covered his feet. Sonic's eyes looked right past Knuckles, scanning the room behind him for any indication of Tails but saw nothing. He glazed over the many pairs of shoes lying next to the door, hoping to see Tails' familiar vans. Flip-flops, a pair of trainers, his signature red converse shoes and garden boots caked in mud. No sign of anything that belonged to Tails.

"What the hell do you want?" Knuckles shot, his tired voice floating with malice as he let out a large yawn, stretching his limbs. "It's two in the god-damn morning. Why did you wake me up," he scowled, folding his arms over each other."

"Have you seen Tails?" Sonic yelled immediately, not bothering to explain. "Ames said that the two of you always had your Thursday gatherings together."

"Yeah, he was here. But he left hours ago. Why don't you just call him instead of annoying me?" Knuckles replied somewhat brashly. He stifled another yawn.

"Did he say where he went? Did he say what he was going to do? Did he say-" Sonic spewed out his words without pausing at all, giving Knuckles a headache.

"Sonic, calm down," Knuckles interrupted, ceasing the babbling boy. "Tell me what is going on?"

"No time. Got this phone. Tails is kidnapped. Saw a video. Have until sunrise to save him," Sonic regurgitated the information as he fished out the phone from his pocket and waved it in front of the curious Knuckles. He raised an eyebrow skeptically as his eyes glossed over the phone.

"And you say that this is the phone that was delivered to you tonight?" Sonic nodded in response, not opening his mouth. "Well, you said that the kidnapper instructed you to watch a video but did you check the rest of the phone? Maybe if we go through his phone we can see if there are any clues indicating what happened?" Knuckles offered.

Sonic's eyes lit up, unable to believe that in his frustration and haste after receiving the phone call he had neglected to remember to check the phone. Sonic picked up the phone, the screen buzzing to life as he swiped his thumb across the screen and unlocked it.

…

 _Sonic swiped his thumb across the screen and unlocked it. His elbows were rested on the white decorative tablecloth as he read through his phone. Amy sat across from him, rolling her eyes in annoyance as she thought he was already bored despite only just arriving at the restaurant. The two sat at one of the back tables of one of the most marvelous restaurants in the whole city. Sonic had to book months in advance just to get one of the smaller tables. The whole extravagant restaurant was crowded with bustling people talking, ordering and laughing. A gigantic, crystallized glass chandelier hung above, drowning the room in a gorgeous light. It was perfect. The most elegant place Sonic could have taken Amy, she thought, but to her, he was already ruining it._

 _"_ _Ahem," she coughed loudly, trying to gather his attention away from his phone. Sonic raised his eyebrows as he looked at her, a goofy grin plastered on his face._

 _"_ _Sorry Ames, you look beautiful tonight," he flattered her, noticing her astonishing navy blue dress._

 _"_ _Thanks, but… could you get off your phone?" She asked, trying her hardest to be as polite as possible. Once again Sonic apologized, hurriedly tapping out one final message before he shut off his phone and replaced it back in his pocket._

 _"_ _So, do you know what you are going to order tonight?" Sonic asked strangely, sweat beginning to bead on his brow as he began to get nervous now that he wasn't on his phone. Amy raised a quizzical eyebrow but dismissed it, turning her attention to the menu._

 _"_ _I'm thinking of the fish risotto," Amy decided finally, but once she closed her menu and glanced back up to Sonic, his face was once again illuminated by the artificial light of his phone again. She groaned, muttering under her breath. "Unbelievable. Some third-year anniversary this turned out to be."_

 _"_ _Huh?" Sonic looked up. "Did you say something Ames?" She sighed, rolling her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that evening but before she could open her mouth to complain, a familiar voice sent dread running through her._

 _"_ _Sonic? Amy? No way, fancy seeing you guys here," Tails walked up to their table, a huge smile plastered on his face. His voice was shaky, trying to play it off like he just happened to be walking through a fancy restaurant, alone, but Amy knew that Sonic had texted him._

 _"_ _This is just great," she grumbled under her breath as Sonic called him over. "We can't ever get a moment alone." Amy stood up, running a hand down her hair before announcing, "I'm going to go freshen up."_

 _"_ _Okay, don't be long," Sonic called back obliviously, unbeknownst to him that she was already mad at him and the night was still very young._

 _"_ _So, why did you call me here? Date really going that bad?" Tails asked, still standing next to the table. Sonic's gaze was trained on Amy, waiting until she turned the corner and entered the bathroom before he let himself speak._

 _"_ _Okay, thanks so much for coming. Tonight is super important," Sonic began, standing up to give Tails a quick hug._

 _"_ _Why?"_

 _"_ _Well, you know Cream and Knuckles have been dating for just over two years now," Sonic continued. Tails nodded. "And I bet Knuckles has told you how he is saving up to buy a ring for her." Another nod. "Well thinking about Knuckles planning to pop the question to Cream has gotten me thinking."_

 _"_ _Actually, Sonic, there is something I need to tell you. You see, the thing about Cream is-" However, before Tails could finish his sentence Sonic had reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out a small black case with a stunning diamond ring concealed inside._

 _"_ _I'm going to ask her to marry me tonight. That's why I need your help." Tails froze, unable to finish his sentence. He knew he couldn't spill his own news he had. He didn't want to ruin Sonic's big night._

 _"_ _M-my help?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, you're my best friend, buddy. You're the only person I can trust to help hide the ring in her meal. I contacted the waiter tonight as well and messaged him that she was planning to order the fish risotto. Can you deliver this ring to him and make sure everything goes according to plan? This ring cost me all the money I had been saving for my trip around the world but… but Amy is more important," he finalized, leaving Tails in awe._

 _"_ _Y-you spent the money you were saving for travel?" He blinked, before shaking his surprise away. "I mean Yes,", his gaping mouth replaced with a beaming, happy smile. "Of course I'll help you out. I couldn't be more happy for you. Congratulations!"_

 _"_ _Don't congratulate me yet," Sonic laughed. "She still has to say yes."_

…

Sonic snapped back from his memory of the night Amy agreed to marry him, pressing the images button on the phone. Apart from the video he was sent, everything else seemed to be deleted.

"Why don't we try looking through his recent messages? Maybe there is a conversation that could help," Knuckles spoke up, trying his hardest to help the disgruntled and worried Sonic.

"I doubt it," he said in defeat. "If this freak wiped everything else on this phone, why would they not have deleted his messages too?" However, despite the lack of hope, Sonic clicked on the little message app and watched as the screen change to a list of messages. Just as Sonic predicted, they had all been deleted. That is, all except one. "That's strange…"

"What?

"One conversation wasn't wiped. One between him and Cream."

"My Cream?" Sonic nodded, opening it. It was obvious that some of the conversation had been tampered with, as the only set of messages were from a week ago, and all messages prior to the specific conversation had also been deleted.

"It's been tampered with," Sonic remarked aloud as he scrolled up to the top of the excerpt and began to read.

"What does it say? What were they talking about?"

 **Tails: I still don't know if we should do this**

 **Cream: This was your idea**

 **Tails: I just don't know if I can completely abandon Sonic like that**

 **Cream: Didn't you tell him? I thought you were going to ask him to come with us**

 **Tails: I was but he called me out to dinner and proposed to Amy**

 **Cream: That's great news. I'm so happy for them**

 **Tails: Me too, so I can't tell him about our plan because I don't want to drag him away from Amy forever. He spent all his money**

 **Cream: So what are you going to do?**

 **Tails: Shit, that was too close. Knuckles almost saw these texts. We need to be more careful**

 **Cream: What do you suggest?**

 **Tails: Check your mail box**

Sonic's eyes grew wide as he read over the conversation. Tails was going to leave him? Why? And for what? He had no idea that his best friend was planning anything. However, more than his own shock at his friend's unusual behaviour he was scared for him. Scared at what Knuckles might do.

"Knux… you okay?" Sonic asked cautiously, glancing up at the taller man who looked completely stunned. Sonic couldn't read his face. It was frozen, emotionless. His mouth barely more than a horizontal slit, eyes dark and foreboding.

"Did you know?" Three simple words escaped Knuckles' lips.

"No, I had no idea this is the first I'm hearing of this," Sonic replied almost too quickly.

"Some best friend you were," he snapped harshly.

"Dude, this is news to me! Don't go attacking me about this," Sonic exploded back, the tension from the night's events and constant fear for his best friend straining his tolerance. Knuckles let out a guttural grow, his hands in fists, shaking in anger as he tried to satiate the pain.

"How could she… she was planning to run away with… with him? I was planning to propose to her," his voice was raspy and distant, trying to hold back the anger.

"Knuckles I-"

"I'll kill him!" Knuckles bellowed in anger. "How could he do this to me? I thought we were fucking friends but he stole the girl of my dreams from me?! I'll fucking murder him."

"Knuckles, calm the fuck down!" Sonic grabbed his arms, staring daggers into his cold eyes. "We can sort all this shit out later but getting angry isn't going to help. We need to save Tails first. Besides, you don't know for sure they were cheating on you."

"Yes they were! Fine, but I'm coming with you," Knuckles decided. Sonic shook his head, frowning.

"I have to go alone or else he'll kill Tails."

"Whatever, go do your own thing then. But you must promise me something, Sonic."

"What?"

"That once we save Tails, you'll get him to come talk to me and face me like a man," Knuckles' eyes were dark, a fire dancing inside of him as flames licked his eyelids.

"Okay. I promise. Now I gotta go. Hopefully Ames has found something that could help us," Sonic urged as he turned to sprint off back into the unrelenting storm.

"I'm gonna go check if Cream is okay," Knuckles called as he grabbed his coat off the hook and draped it over him, shutting the door behind him forcefully and locking it. "I'll give you a lift to Amy's. Time is of the essence, remember?"

"Thanks, Knuckles." Sonic hopped in the passenger seat, turning to his stoic friend beside him, studying his facial features. "Also, I'm sorry. Sorry all this shit happened to you."

"You'd be surprised what people can do behind your back when you think you know them," he responded gravely as he stomped his foot on the accelerator and they roared off down the road and into the stormy night.

* * *

 _A/N: Well I hope you enjoyed the next chapter, only 3 more to go so I hope you are all enjoying it so far and please leave me a review to let me know what you think or any theories you have. Constructive criticism is always appreciated :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Hey everybody, so sorry for the long, long wait on this story but I haven't forgotten about it. As an apology, this is the longest chapter so far. Although each chapter keeps getting longer and longer, don't they? Anyway, you've waited long enough so please enjoy._

* * *

Chapter 4

Knuckles stalled the car as Sonic threw open the passenger door and stepped into the pelting rain drowning the earth below. He yelled his thanks before slamming the door shut. Knuckles nodded as the car roared off into the distance, growing smaller until there was nothing but the faint glow of headlights in the distance. Sonic inhaled deep through his nose before he sprinted down Amy's garden path, taking a similar route he did not an hour prior.

Sonic slammed his fist against the door, calling her name frantically. He dreaded each waking moment and he needed to see if she had any information. He was close to finding Tails, he just knew it. All Sonic needed was the last piece to the puzzle. The answer was tantalizingly close, on the tip of his tongue. He groaned as he heard some more panicked scrambling before the door creaked open and Amy poked her head out.

"Hey Sonic, did you find Tails?" She asked with concern. She panted, completely exhausted and her face was flushed.

"What happened to you?" Sonic asked before quickly shaking his head and pushing open the door, letting himself enter her home despite Amy's protests. "Never mind that, did you find out anything?"

"Sonic I-" Amy began but was cut off when Sonic turned around and clamped his hands around her shoulders, digging his nails into her flesh. She winced in pain but Sonic did nothing to stop, his gaze piercing deep into her skull as worry flooded his head.

"Ames, please," he begged. "I need you. You had to have found something… anything…" Amy frowned, seeing nothing but pain and misery in his eyes, mentally scolding herself for not feeling the same level of dread. She couldn't help but let her thoughts wonder to the what if's.

'What if it was me who was missing? Would he care this much?'

"Ames!" Sonic shook her back to reality, her eyes blinking before she realized where she was and the severity of the situation dawned on her again.

"Sorry, sorry, I did do some research but…" she trailed off, her gaze cast down to the floor.

"But what?" He urged, his eyes wide and scared. "Did you find anything?"

"That's the problem," Amy admitted, mumbling. "I used all the techniques I know to look but I couldn't find anything. There was no news, no past events and not even similar myths or ghost stories. This is completely new. Which means this could just be a new psycho and Tails was just unlucky enough to be their first victim for their sick game or…"

"Or what?" Sonic asked after Amy shuddered, her voice changing dark and grave.

"Or whoever is doing this has a personal vendetta on Tails!" Sonic's eyes grew wide, the thought never crossing his mind.

"Who would wanna hurt him? He wouldn't hurt a fly," Sonic thought aloud, running his hands through his quills, mumbling indistinctly to himself.

"Sonic, Sonic you have to calm down," Amy urged, placing her hands gently on his shoulders. His eyes met hers, searching deep in emerald iris' for answers to his problems and relief from his stress. She slid her hands down his arms, soothing his skin, ripe with goosebumps until she let her fingers wrap around his clammy hands, still drenched from the rain. She closed her eyes, tilted her head and closed the gap between their faces.

"What was that for?" Sonic asked.

"You need to calm down. You're running yourself ramped all over the city. If you want any hope of saving him, we need to think clearly. Have you found any clues?" Amy asked calmly.

"Well, Knux and I check the phone we found and saw a series of texts. They were between Tails and Cream," Sonic explained. "But it was like the psycho wanted me to find them."

"Cream? What does she have to do with anything?"

"I don't know. I came here to see if you found out anything."

"If this is a personal attack, perhaps the conversation that they purposely left on that phone for you to find wasn't just an accident. Maybe it's a clue."

"So, your saying I should go talk to Cream?" Sonic asked, trying to comprehend everything in his spinning head.

"Yeah, and let me come with you. I want to find Tails just as much as you do," Amy begged, her bottom lip pouting pleadingly.

"Ames, I'd love your help but I was told if I bring anybody than Tails would be killed…" Sonic trailed off, his memory sparking. "Shit, Knuckles! He said he was going to see Cream. If she is involved in all this and this psycho sees him he might kill Tails!" Sonic slurred his words as he hurried to get to the door. In his haste, Sonic tripped over the carpet sprawled out on the ground, slamming into the floor and knocking the door closed with a bang.

"Are you okay?" Amy's motherly instincts took over as she rushed to his aid. Sonic moaned, rubbing his red elbow as he sat up, the room spinning slightly. He could have sworn he was imagining something as the door to the cupboard under the stairs creaked open and a shirtless hedgehog stepped out.

"Thank god he is gon-" he sang out before stopping in his tracks, frozen.

"Sh-Shadow?" Sonic asked, perplexed and wondering if he was just imagining it. "What are you doing here? Shirtless…" Everything stopped spinning as Sonic stood, shaking his head. He took in his surroundings. The guilty look on Amy, his fiancé's face, and his shirtless friend standing by the secure cupboard he emerged from.

"Sonic, please, this isn't what it looks like," Amy began but Sonic quickly rose a hand, rubbing his eyes.

"I… I… I…" Sonic babbled, struggling to find the words to express his anger. A fire kindled in the pit of his stomach, the angered flames fueled by the pleading words spewing out of Amy's mouth. He blocked her out, staring daggers at Shadow.

"You, um, weren't supposed to be here. I thought you left," Shadow said stoically, his emotionless face unchanging.

"I can't believe this."

"Sonic, please, you have to listen to me," Amy tried again, gripping his shoulder. Sonic took a step back, wrenching himself out of her grasp.

"My best friend has been kidnapped by some freak and you… you cheat on me with this… this thing!" Sonic bellowed, finally finding his voice and volume.

"I had no choice! You kept ignoring me. I… I needed somebody and he was just there."

"Gimme a break. Of course you did, Ames!" Sonic hissed.

"Don't yell at her," Shadow growled, stepping between the two.

"Don't tell me how to talk to _my_ fiancé."

"Sonic, please, can we just talk about this. I can explain-" Amy tried to reason with him but he interjected.

"I'm done listening. I need to find Tails," Sonic whispered bluntly, his voice dark and distant. He turned and threw open the door, speeding out into the night. Ignoring Amy's calls. Ignoring the hurt in her voice, her pained calls. Tails needed him. That's all that mattered.

A darkened silhouette, all features obscured by shadows watched from its hiding spot behind a tree in the yard as Amy called out. She fell to the floor, her legs crossed as the severity of her mistake finally washed over her.

…

 _Amy sat on the red and white kaleidoscopic blanket neatly unfolded on the top of the grassy knoll, her legs crossed as she waited. Exquisite home cooked meals were placed precisely in her basket, along with paper plates and napkins. Plastic wine glasses with an expensive pinot noir were lain out on the blanket. The sun streaked low on the horizon, setting off magnificent salmon hues across the deep sky. Everything was beautiful. Perfect._

 _Amy's phone vibrated softly in her pocket. She noticed Sonic's contact and immediately answered the phone, beaming with anticipation._

 _"_ _Hey, where are you? I told you to meet me at the park for a special engagement surprise," she enquired eagerly._

 _"_ _Uhh, yeah Ames, about that…" a hesitant and guilt ridden voice responded from the speaker. Amy froze, her heart beating as her mouth dried. She wet her lips and swallowed before replying in fear._

 _"_ _What happened?"_

 _"_ _Nothing, nothing I just… Tails kinda invited me to his beach house this weekend for a special best friend getaway trip and so I'm not really in the city."_

 _"_ _Are you kidding me?" Amy was visibly shaking, trying to control herself. "You promised me you would be free tonight. I went to so much trouble and you're ditching me for him, again? Over a phone call, too?"_

 _"_ _Ames, listen, I'm sorry but he seemed really down. He says he has something super important that he needed to tell me. It seems serious," Sonic explained._

 _"_ _Fine, have a nice little romantic getaway," Amy flared her nostrils as she hung up the phone vehemently._

 _"_ _Ames, c'mon don't do thi-" Silence. Nothing but a dial tone. Amy flung her phone across the blanket, watching it skid to a stop, knocking over one of the glasses. A black shoe stopped the phone's course as a hedgehog bent over to pick it up and hand it to her._

 _"_ _Wouldn't wanna lose this, would we?" he shot her a smile with an outstretched hand._

 _"_ _Oh, hey Shadow," Amy sighed, retrieving the phone and tossing it back into her purse without a glance._

 _"_ _Now why would you throw that away?" Shadow enquired, his shadowed head silhouetted in the glare of the sun behind him._

 _"_ _Nothing really. Just Sonic drama, I wouldn't want to bore you with the details," she dismissed him._

 _"_ _Try me," Shadow smiled, taking a seat beside her._

 _"_ _Honestly, it's not a big deal. He's just not going to show up today," she frowned._

 _"_ _Well we wouldn't want all this hard work go to waste, would we? Mind if I?"_

 _"_ _Please, be my guest," a small smile crept its way onto her face as she filled up the two plastic glasses with the crimson liquid._

 _"_ _To good friends."_

 _"_ _Cheers," Amy clinked her drink against his, small droplets of wine springing from the glass and dribbling down the sides as she took a large swig._

…

Sonic puffed, his pulse racing as the sight of the cookie-cutter neighborhood came into view. He wiped the beading sweat off his brow, passing by the identical eggshell houses until he came to the white picket fence with the three golden numbers plated onto one of the posts. Sonic jumped the fence, racing towards the door. However, as he bounded the steps up the front porch he noticed something off. The door was slightly ajar.

Without time for hesitation or caution, Sonic threw open the door, its hinges creaking as he stood in the living room. His head darted left to right, trying to find any sort of clue. Everything seemed normal despite the open door. Spotless counters, newly vacuumed floors and nothing out of the ordinary. Sonic made his way to the staircase, planning to check the bedrooms when he noticed a black suitcase stashed on one of Cream's fuchsia couches. He immediately recognized it. The cerulean ribbon wrapped around the handle indicating his fears. It was Tails'.

Sonic fell to his knees and unzipped the case. He rummaged around inside, throwing out clothes, toiletries and everything in between. Time ticked by as he exhausted the entire contents but his search proved fruitless. Sonic groaned in frustration, hurling the emptied case across the room and watching it collide against the wall. As he watched the trajectory, his eyes were cast upon the rectangular glass coffee table situated in the middle of the room. A miniscule object he overlooked before suddenly the center of attention.

Sonic rose, curiosity taking control as he bent over to inspect the object. An envelope with a name scrawled onto it in permanent marker. **Sonic**.

Without hesitation Sonic ripped open the envelope and extracted the letter inside. As he unfolded it and began to read, his eyes grew wide. Thunder roared overhead, lighting cracking through the sky. Sonic couldn't believe what he was reading. It couldn't be true. Inside was a letter addressed to Cream. From Tails.

Sonic's world froze, the piercing sounds of the unbridled storm outside muted. Only the rhythmic beating of his heart sounded as he stared blankly at the letter. Before he had time to fully let it sink in, a thud emanated from inside the house. Sonic snapped back to his senses, his gaze darting towards the floorboards. He paused, ears straining but the sound never repeated. He shrugged, assuming it was just the storm outside but before he could turn his attention back to the letter it sounded again. It was indistinguishable, but it was clearly not the storm. It was something, or someone, hitting something. Right underneath him.

Sonic recalled Cream's house. All those game nights he spent over there with Tails, Shadow, Amy and Knuckles. All those times Cream would complain about her basement flooding. Her basement…

Sonic rushed over to a locked door. He brought up his leg and kicked as hard as he could. It didn't budge. He tried again, over and over, harder and harder. The wood strained slightly, small splinters stripping off the wooden door but still it didn't budge. Sonic took a few steps back before sprinting at it, colliding shoulder first. The lock gave way, cracking under the immense weight and the door flung open. Sonic fell down the small staircase, his skin bruised and bloodied after the fall.

Sonic sat up, clutching his head as the room span around him. He felt a stinging pain from his ribs but had no time to inspect or treat it. He was too busy scanning the small room, expecting to find his trapped friend. But nothing. Four cement walls, a washer and drier in the corner and a closet. However, there was something strange. In the middle of the room were two screens and a wooden box with two buttons on them. One yellow and one pink.

 _Ring, Ring_

Sonic jumped with a start. He fished the phone out of his pocket. Tails' phone was ringing, the same number as before. Sonic didn't hesitate as he answered it, barking into the speaker.

"Enough games. Where the hell is he?!" Sonic screamed, the futileness of his situation finally getting to him, manifesting itself into anger that gripped Sonic's entire being.

"Now where would be the sport in that if I just told you?" The taunting voice mocked. The same voice as before.

"Just tell me now!" Sonic commanded, ignoring the voice.

"I can do you one better," they responded cryptically. "I can show you exactly where he is." Just as they spoke, the two television screens in front of Sonic buzzed to life. The grainy static illuminated the room in artificial light, slowly fading to reveal a gruesome sight. On the left, an image of Tails, tied up to a chair. The same as the image he saw before. Fresh bruises, dried blood and cuts all over him. However, on the right, the same horrific sight but instead, Amy sat tied to the chair. There were no visible bruises, but fresh blood oozed from a cut on her forehead. Both of them had a gun trained to their heads.

"Tails! Amy!" Sonic shouted at the television, but the only response he got was maniacal laughter from the speaker.

"Please, they can't hear you. Save your breath. However, you can hear them. Let's see just what they have to say, shall we?"

Sonic swiveled his head to the left, staring at the image of his best friend, Tails, pleading for his life.

"Sonic, Sonic please," Tails begged, his eyes red rimmed with black bags sagging underneath. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you but please… please save me," Tails continued, trying to squirm free of his roped shackles. The figure took the butt of the gun and whacked him over the back of the head. Tails blacked out, his head falling limp as the volume cut off.

Before Sonic could even gasp, sound from the television to his right began to sound and he whipped his head to look into the scared and tortured eyes of his fiancé, Amy, pleading for her life.

"Sonic, Sonic please," Amy begged. "I'm sorry I slept with Shadow. You were just never there. You ignored me, I felt unloved. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was weak. Vulnerable. It was a mistake, I promise I'll never do it again. I love you. Please… please save me," Amy continued, tugging against the tightly knotted ropes but escape seemed impossible. Before she could say anymore, the figure repeated the same action, knocking her out as her head, too, fell limp and the sound cut out.

"Why are you doing this? What did either of them ever do to you? What did I do to you?" Sonic cried, tears cascading down the contours of his face and dripping off his chin. His eyes were full of shock and fear. His chest felt tight and he had a shortness of breath. He didn't know what to do. He felt so hopeless, watching the two people he cared about most in this world being tortured by this shadowed figure for unknown reasons.

"Two buttons," the voice replied finally. "One yellow, the other pink. One will save a life, but condemn another to death."

"No. No please," Sonic begged but was interrupted by the voice again.

"Whichever one you save, the other will be shot. So, press one of the buttons," the voice instructed. "The boy who was going to run away forever without a word and leave you or the girl who was cheating on you after you just got engaged with your greatest rival? Tails, or Amy. Your best friend or your fiancé?"

"Please, please don't make me do this," Sonic begged, his voice shaky and raspy. He couldn't contain the gurgled sobs as he tried to pull himself together, to keep his composure. "I'll do anything you want. Take me instead, kill me but free them." There were a few moments of silence before the voice warned again.

"You have two minutes to press a button, or I'll kill them both."

* * *

 _A/N: 4 chapters down, 1 to go (And a short epilogue). So, what did you think about that? Do you think you know who the psycho is? Is it somebody we have me like Shadow, Cream or Knuckles or are Amy or Tails faking all this? Or is it somebody completely new who hasn't been seen but somehow fits into this whole story. Somebody who has an integral role and whose presence is in all the flashbacks, just out of the lime light... or maybe not, who knows? But who do you want Sonic to save. Amy or Tails. Both of them have wronged him, both holding secrets that, as promised, were revealed that night. If you enjoyed, don't forget to leave a review to let me know and I'll see you all in the conclusion of missing._


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Quick update, yay!_

* * *

Chapter 5

Sonic's emerald eyes darted frantically back and forth between the two screens. Fear danced in his eyes as he saw the limp, vulnerable bodies of the two people he cared more about than any other. The thunder continued to crack overhead, still deafening from the basement confinement surrounding Sonic.

"One minute," the voice spoke darkly. Sonic bit his bottom lip, his brain running wild. He couldn't choose, could he?

'Tails is my best friend. He's been there for me since the beginning. But… he was going to run away, with Cream, without even telling me.' Sonic sighed as his gaze flicked to Amy, still wearing the clothes she donned when he fought with her in front of Shadow.

'Amy is my fiancé. I love her, always have. We've been together for ages. But… she cheated on me. With Shadow of all people.' He couldn't choose. How was he supposed to?

"Twenty seconds," the voice pierced through his thoughts. Sonic's words found his throat, carried by the desperation consuming him.

"Please, please don't make me choose," Sonic begged.

"Fifteen seconds."

"I'll do anything. Just let them go."

"Ten seconds."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Eight, seven…"

"What did we ever do to you?"

"Five, four, three…" Sonic ran out of time. He couldn't think, he couldn't reason with this disjointed, untethered voice and he had no bargaining chips. He was at the complete mercy of whichever psycho wanted to torture him. He had to make a choice.

Instinct took over, whether his heart or his brain made the choice, Sonic was unsure but instinctively his right arm rose and slammed down on a button, silencing the voice.

"You've made your choice," the voice concluded. Sonic watched in horror, his eyes bulging wide as the gloved hand holding the pistol squeezed the trigger. He lifted the palm of his hand off the yellow button and pressed it up against the rightmost television screen. He traced his fingers over the image of Amy's lifeless body, a pool of crimson liquid soaking her clothes. Tears stung the corners of his eyes as he stared, unable to look away.

Sonic couldn't find his voice, the phone dropping to the floor. He fell to his knees, his eyes fixated on the pixels. He could feel his heart shatter into a thousand tiny pieces, each one scratching his insides like knives. He knew he was responsible for the death. He killed his fiancé. The one girl he loved more than any other.

Suddenly, the since dormant anger sparked to life, kindled by the knowledge of being cheated on by Amy and ditched by Tails. The raging fire within him had been stoked and now there was no stopping Sonic. He reached down, almost breaking the phone in his grasp as he spat into the microphone.

"You listen here. I don't know who you are, or how smart you think you are but I will find you. And when I do, you'll wish it was only a bullet to the head that killed you." Sonic narrowed his eyes, his gaze still caught on the image of Amy but all he heard was a dark chuckle on the other line. "Didn't you hear me?"

"Big talk from such a weak man."

"Do you think this is all a game?"

"No. This has never been a game. This has all been retribution."

"For what?"

"I could tell you that," the voice offered. "…Or, you could ask me the question that you should have asked minutes ago."

"What the hell are you on about now?" Sonic barked, fed up with cryptic messages and being lead about like a blind dog on a leash.

"You did what I asked, so now you can go to Tails. That was the deal. And I'm nothing if not a man of my word."

"Tails! Where is he?" Sonic's tone shifted immediately, a desperate pleading replacing unbridled rage.

"I'm surprised you never figured it out. Tails was planning to leave, to run away. So where would be the best place to keep him?" Sonic was about to hang up, done with the misleading ramblings of a clearly disturbed man. However, before he could, realization struck, piercing through him like an arrow shot brave and true.

"His house…"

"Exactly where he _should_ have stayed," the voice responded maliciously before the stagnated silence was replaced by the dial tone and, once again, Sonic was left all alone. Sonic jumped up, bounding over towards the rickety staircase when he heard it again. The same noise as before. Like a bump in the night… coming from the small tucked away closet.

Sonic hesitated, his body still screaming at him to get to Tails' house to catch the son of a bitch that killed Amy but he needed to know what it was. He sprinted over, wrenching open the wooden shutters to reveal whatever was locked inside but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. A girl, body bounded by tight, thick rope and a dirty sock stuffed into her mouth fell forwards, colliding into the hard ground below.

"Cream?" Sonic gasped, hurriedly helping her up, removing the sock from her mouth. Her eyes were puffy, streaks staining her cheeks.

"Sonic, oh my god Sonic. It happened to you too?" Cream sniffed, still unable to believe her eyes.

"What happened?" Sonic asked, his nimble fingers swiftly untying the knots that bound her wrists to her back.

"The choice," she sobbed, too distraught to couple more than a few words together. Her body still shook.

"Cream… Cream please, we don't have any time. What are you talking about?" Sonic urged, restlessly trying to help her up so he could go rescue Tails.

"Last night… oh god I killed him, Sonic. I made the choice and I killed him," she cried, tears running freely down her face now, dripping from her chin.

"Wait, this happened to you last night?" Sonic asked stupidly, his mind still a flurry with thoughts and worries.

"This… this guy," she choked out in between sniffs. "He called me saying that Tails and Knuckles had been taken and I had to go down to my basement."

"Wait, hang on-" Sonic tried to stop her, none of her story making sense but she continued despite his interruptions.

"I saw two videos. One where Knuckles was begging for his life, pleading with me and the other was a recording of Tails. Except he must have been told he had to beg to you because instead of my name, he was begging you to save him," Cream explained through her intermingled tears.

"Wait… which one did you save?" Sonic whispered, his voice soft and strained.

"I didn't save anybody, Sonic. I'm a killer. I made the psycho kill Knuckles. Oh god…" Cream broke back into an uncontrollable fit of sobs, but Sonic didn't sooth her. He couldn't move as he sat up stiff.

"That's impossible…" Sonic's breath caught in his throat. His eyes grew wide, the sudden realization of what he'd been subjected to thrusting more fear through him than had been previously. Cream looked to him, confused and scared. "That can't have been possible. I just spoke to Knuckles tonight, and last I saw him he was coming… here!"

…

 _Knuckles' eyes shot open to the sound of a door creaking open. His head was pounding, too much alcohol ingestion the night before._

 _"_ _C-Cream?" He whispered through the dark, trying to make out her figure._

 _"_ _I'm just going to work, I didn't want to wake you," she hushed him softly as she turned from the door. "You can sleep in, I'll be back later tonight." Knuckles tried to sit up, wanted to talk more but exhaustion took ahold of him and dragged him back down into the depths of unconsciousness._

 _When next he woke, the sun was streaming brightly through the curtains. The rays fell upon his eyelids, rousing him from his slumber. Knuckles yawned, stretching out his sore, stiff muscles. He glanced over to the vacant spot next to him, nothing but messy sheets. Suddenly, a memory surfaced from his grogginess. He darted out of bed, pouncing on his jeans that had been tossed haphazardly to the floor. He threw his hand into his pocket, fishing around until he found what he was looking for._

 _"_ _It's still here," he drew a sigh of relief as he pulled out a small, black box. He quickly popped open the lid, revealing a breathtaking golden engagement ring inside. "Time to start making plans for tonight," Knuckles smiled as he rose to his feet. As he stood, he felt a horrendous pounding in his head. He stumbled, pushing against the wall to keep himself up. Knuckles staggered over to Cream's bedside table where he recalled her keeping some pain relief tablets for his screeching headache. He rummaged through the top drawer, sorting through papers, batteries, a bible but no tablets. Knuckles began to close the drawer when he noticed something tucked underneath the bible. An envelope with Cream's name written on it. However, Knuckles recognized the handwriting from all the Thursday nights. It was undoubtedly Tails'._

 _Despite his better judgement, curiosity took ahold of Knuckles and he unfolded the letter inside but the more he read, the angrier and angrier he found himself._

 _Dear Cream,_

 _I'm writing you this letter because texting has become too dangerous. Knuckles has almost seen our texts twice. I miss you so much, but seeing each other is too risky. It's so hard to stay away from you, but until Friday we must. I've arranged the tickets, the plane leaves Friday morning. I'll meet you at the airport. I booked Hawaii, just like you always talked about. Don't let Knuckles see you packing._

 _I love you so much and although it's only been a year, it has been the best year of my life but I agree with you. It's not fair on you to keep sneaking around like this. I just got back from my weekend away with Sonic. I couldn't tell him I was leaving. I wanted to, but I just couldn't. What if he came with us? Knowing him, he would. After seeing him propose to Amy last week, I couldn't take him away from her. That's why I'm leaving him in the dark. I'll call him from Hawaii, we can call him and Amy together and explain why we left and for them not to follow us._

 _Enclosed is your ticket. Until Friday morning, I love you._

 _Tails_

 _Knuckles let the envelope fall from his hands, too stunned to keep ahold of the object. His blood boiled, anger seeping through his veins. He visibly shook, unable to control himself as he held up the box to inspect it._

 _"_ _After all that happened… she was going to leave with him!" Knuckles yelled as he hurled the ring as hard as he could against the wall. Something inside of him snapped, watching the rings ricochet off the wall and land harmlessly against the carpet. "Let's see who she loves more. Him… or me."_

…

"No, no, no, no," Sonic repeated frantically, babbling madly as he unlocked the phone and looked at the one video that remained on it. He studied it, his blood running cold as he realized the truth. The recorded video of Tails pleading for his life was exactly the same as the one he had just watched. Down to the exact timing of when Knuckles knocked him unconscious with the butt of the gun.

"How could Knuckles do all this? You can't be sure it was him," Cream reasoned, unable to accept what they both knew was true.

"I talked to him today, Cream, and if he was coming here we need to get out of here, now," Sonic replied forcefully as he grabbed his hand, tugging her behind him.

"Where are we going?"

"Tails' house," Sonic confirmed as Cream fell into step behind him. The two took her car, speeding down the stormy streets as fast as the lightning flashes above them. Sonic never slowed until he pulled up into Tails' driveway, leaping out of the car while it was still idle despite Cream's calls. She grunted, chasing after him as he pushed against the front door, not locked.

Sonic and Cream bounded up the stairs, breaking into Tails' bedroom. Sonic fell to his hands and knees, unable to believe the sight.

"Sonic, what is it?" Cream asked, trailing behind him but as she entered the room and laid her eyes on the gruesome sight. She fell to the floor, vomit spewing from her mouth. The putrid smell filled their nostrils, stinging their eyes. There, on the bed, lay the limp, lifeless, deceased bodies of both Tails and Amy.

Sonic inspected the body's, nearly giving into the nausea that overtook him as he saw the bullet hole in Amy's head and the four that peppered Tails' stomach.

"How could he do this?" Sonic cried out, clutching his stomach.

"Sonic, look at this," Cream breathed as she turned around, holding a gun in her hand.

"Cream, drop that," Sonic hissed, slapping the weapon out of her hand. The two watched as it skidded across the floor, clattering against the wall. "That's evidence. We'll call the cops and get Knuckles arrested and-" Sonic began frantically but the sounds of blaring sirens filling the night silenced him. The luminescence of blue and red flashing lights poured through the window, bathing the room.

"I guess it's finally our lucky day," Cream remarked sarcastically as the door to the bedroom flung open and three armed men, dressed in bulletproof body armour burst in.

"Officers, thank god you are here," Cream sighed with relief but was quickly tackled to the ground, along with Sonic.

"You sickos are going down," One of the men growled angrily at them.

"No, please, you have made a mistake. These are our friends," Sonic spoke.

"You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say can and will be used in a court of law," another barked at him.

"We didn't do this, it was Knuckles. Knuckles," Sonic howled at them, desperately fighting against the two men that held him down in futility.

"Sonic?" Cream turned to him, tears in her eyes as handcuffs were clamped around her wrists.

"It's going to be okay, Cream. Everything is going to be okay," Sonic repeated, more to himself than her, over and over again as the two were marched out of the house and pushed into the back of the cop car.

Knuckles smiled, watching from his hiding spot behind a tall tree as the lights grew faint in the distance.

…

 _Knuckles needed somebody to talk to. Somebody to help him and Amy's name was the first one that popped into his head. Tails' words of the letter he had just read echoing through his brain, taunting him. He hastened over to her house, ready for some advice but before he could knock on the door, he heard some noise from inside. He quietly snuck around to peer into her window, only to discover her making out with Shadow in the living room. Knuckles fumed, the rage inside him bubbling to boiling point. First Cream cheating on him, and now Amy on Sonic. He knew he needed to settle the score._

 _Knuckles got to work throughout the day. He hid himself away in Cream's basement, wheeling two televisions down and constructing a wooden box with two buttons. He rigged up their compression, both wired to send his phone a notification of which one was pushed. He sneakily hid a camera up in one of the corners, training it on the televisions._

 _Knuckles retrieved some rope and set up his phone, recording, on a stand to face him. He steeled his nerves, psyching himself up before he punched himself in the face. He staggered backwards, taken aback by the pain but didn't let it deter him. He punched himself as hard as he could again and again, in the face, arms, gut and legs. He stumbled over to the wall and slammed his head against it. Blood pooled in his mouth and pain overrode all his senses. He spat out a tooth, watching it clatter to the floor. In his bruised, battered and bloodied state he took the rope and tied it around his body before holding both ends behind his back, obscuring it from the camera as he got down on his knees._

 _"_ _Cream… Cream please," Knuckles begged, staring deep into it. "Cream I don't know what's going on but please, please help me. I love you. If… if I don't make it, the engagement ring is hidden in our spot." Knuckles stood up, cutting off the footage and editing it so that it cuts out after he professes his love, hoping that throwing in the line about the ring would get her to choose him._

 _Knuckles drove over to Tails' house as the sun set below the horizon, being invited in by the surprised fox. There, Knuckles jumped Tails while he was distracted, beating him senseless until he passed out. Knuckles proceeded to tie him up and train a gun to his head, instructing him to beg for his life to Sonic, who would be the only one seeing this. After recording it, Knuckles turned to Tails' unconscious body and, blinded by an incurable rage, shot four bullets into his stomach._

 _Knuckles took his phone, wiping it of all applications, pictures and text messages apart from those with Cream. Just as he was finishing up, he felt his own phone buzz in his pocket._

 _"_ _Hey Cream… yeah… yeah sorry the office forced me to stay back late tonight. My car broke down, can you come pick me up? Thanks, see you soon." Knuckles sighed as he hung up the phone. He acted quickly, now on the clock as he quickly burnt the two recordings onto disks and drove back to Cream's house. He loaded them both onto the televisions, priming them for remote access before retreating into hiding just as Cream got home, confused._

 _Knuckles waited until the dead of night before he walked up to her front door, knocking loudly. He placed a cardboard box on her doorstep and dived behind a tree, watching Cream as she inspected the box and the phone inside. Knuckles performed the same ritual he would later repeat for Sonic. He watched Cream's face in horror as she found out. He walked back to his car, accessing the hidden camera from his laptop. He watched with tears in his eyes as Cream broke out into hysteria watching the real video of the now deceased Tails begging for his life and the staged one of himself._

 _Knuckles spoke clearly into the phone, forcing her to make a choice. One, to him, she chose poorly. Enraged, Knuckles stormed into the house, frightening Cream. He donned a black hoodie, shadows obscuring his face as he knocked her unconscious, tied her up and stuffed her into the basement closet. He made sure to position Tails' suitcase on Cream's couch and leave his letter on the tabletop for Sonic to find, just to push him into the direction of saving Amy._

 _Knuckles then got to work again. He watched Sonic's reactions to the phone, kept an eye on him as he approached Amy and made sure he was at home for when Sonic pounded on his door. Exhausted from all the running and hair still wet from the storm, Knuckles quickly threw on some pajama's and answered the door, pretending to have been asleep. It was there that he planted the seed for Sonic to return to Amy. After he stormed away, Knuckles broke into Amy's house, luckily after she had kicked Shadow out and tied her up. However, instead of getting her to do a recording, he decided to stream it live to one of the televisions instead. He warned her that he would shoot if she mentioned his name and that only Sonic could save her._

 _Knuckles frowned as Sonic pressed the yellow button, reluctantly shooting Amy in the head, watching her brains stain the floor below. However, as he continued to watch Sonic, he never expected him to find Cream. Knuckles smiled, a wicked idea springing into his head as he picked up the phone and dialed._

 _"_ _Hello, police. Yes, I just heard a bunch of gunshots from my neighbor's house. I think some people may be hurt, please hurry!"_

* * *

 _A/N: So, did you get it right? Did you guess it was Knuckles all along? He was in love with Cream, and Tails was one of his most trusted friends and after finding out that the two had been sneaking around for over a year together and were planning to run away and never return pushed him over the edge. And right when he was about to propose, too. And yes, Sonic saved Tails... too bad that Tails had been dead since before the first chapter. Did any of you notice that the video in chapter 1 was the exact same as the video in chapter 4. Control C, Control P to the rescue :P Nobody seemed to pick up on that. Neither did they pick up on the face that Knuckles had damp dreds, despite claiming that he had just woken up from bed. And after all that, he got away and set up both Sonic and Cream to take the fall. If only Cream didn't put her finger prints all over the gun..._

 _Either way, what did you think? Did you like the ending? Please let me know in a review about what you thought about it all. But don't worry, there is still a short epilogue to come. We aren't quite done with Knuckles just yet. I'll try to get it up by the end of the week to end this story but until then, don't forget to review and have a great day :)_


	6. Epilogue

Epilogue

The sun had long since conceded the land to the encroaching darkness that had ebbed its way across the small town. The townsfolk locked their doors, drew their shutters and retired to the safety of their cozy beds as the streets were bathed in darkness. Not a soul dared walk the streets that night, the new report of the mutilation of two of their own shock the community to their core. However, as if showing mercy, the cumulonimbus clouds that had drowned the earth in a constant downpour had lifted. The crescent moon shone brightly onto the drenched plants that hungered for more light.

Shadow lay uncomfortably, wrapped up in his blankets. The images of Amy's body plagued his dreams and fueled his nightmares. The eerie rays of the moon crept through the window and wrapped around him like the lanky fingers of an angry phantom. They infected his thoughts. Suddenly, Shadow snapped awake, panting heavily as sweat beaded his forehead and drenched his brow.

His crimson eyes darted around, scanning the area. He could have sworn he had heard something. A knock at the door. He dismissed it, thinking it was just part of the nightmares and fell back down in a heap in a fruitless attempt to get more sleep when it sounded again. There could be no mistaking it, somebody was at the door.

Shadow shot up and leapt off the bed. He quickly threw some grey tracksuit pants over his black boxers and hastened down the stairs in five seconds flat. He grabbed the doorknob and wrenched open the door, the cooling winds greeting him. But there was nobody there.

Shadow furrowed his brow and took a step out, searching the desolate, quiet streets. That's when he saw it. A small, cardboard box left on the doorstep. He leant down and cautiously opened it up. Inside was a phone with a midnight blue case surrounding it.

Shadow felt his heart lurch in his stomach, refusing to beat. He knew exactly who's phone it was. The phone belonged to his best friend, Rouge the Bat. He opened it up hurriedly, knowing her passcode off by heart and searched the phone. All the apps had been deleted and all photos had been cleared except for one video. Shadow felt like throwing up as he played the video.

"Shadow? Shadow, are you watching this? Please, Shadow, you've got to help me. This psycho just grabbed me. Look, I'm so sorry I never told you but you've gotta believe me, I was planning to," Rouge begged before the video ended. She sat in a chair, her wrists and ankles bound by rope. Bruises crept up her arms and fresh cuts blemished her lips. Her black and white hair that she made sure was never unkempt was tangled and disheveled. Before Shadow could comprehend what was happening, the phone rang once. An unfamiliar number.

"Hello?" Shadow answered frantically, panic rising in his voice. "Who is this? Sonic? Is this some sick prank to get back at me?"

"Sorry to disappoint you," a dark voice chuckled on the other line.

"Who is this? What have you done with Rouge?" Shadow demanded.

"Five hours," the voice replied.

"Five hours? What does that mean? Look, if this is about the whole debacle with Sonic, Tails, Amy and Cream you've gotta leave Rouge out of it. She's innocent." No response. "Answer me!" Shadow commanded helplessly.

"Five hours until the sun peaks over the horizon to signal dawn and five hours until the truth is revealed. Five hours to find Rouge or five hours until… Rouge dies!" The call ended.

* * *

 _A/N: And it's finally over. Well, this took longer than expected. What was supposed to be just a short project took up much more time than I expected. Thanks for all the support, it's been unreal. Almost 40 reviews in a 5 chapter story? You guys just blow my mind on how supportive and loving you all are. I had a blast writing this and I hope you all loved reading it. It was just a short idea that I came up with randomly one night and decided to write a short story. Just for some behind the scenes stuff, from the start the original idea I had was that what if somebody had to choose between their fiance and their best friend? The choice might be easy for some, but it's still impossible. Then I decided, what if they both had secrets to hide? Make the choice harder. Then I thought, as the devil's advocate I was, what if the choice was meaningless. The whole premise of the story boiled down to a choice that ultimately was already chosen. Both characters would die no matter what. That was how it began and it grew from there. I decided it would be Sonic choosing between Tails and Amy and that Knuckles was the killer because of Tails and Cream. Shadow was a necessity for AMy's betrayal. Then I planned the flashbacks to further flesh out the characters since I had limitted time to spend with them so I needed to work in the past. It's hard to make characters 3 dimensional when you can only work with a short story and only over a hour time period. I wanted each character to have strengths and flaws like humans. But some people in the end didn't like how the choice turned out to be meaningless. I'm sorry if you didn't, but this story was all about how sometimes you can't win. This epilogue only cements this, and shows that Knuckles has officially gone over the deep end. Poor Rouge..._

 _Either way, I hope you enjoyed this and if you liked this story why not check out my others. Sonic High: Emerald lake or Sontails: War of Faith. One is all about drama and is even darker than this story and the other is a romance that sparked a world war. I also have another murder mystery story Murder on Green Hill Island that is of a similar idea to this. I also have some other stories down the pipeline, one set at colledge and one set in a small american country town but I won't start them for a while but just something to look forward to. Anyway, if you liked it consider favouriting or following this story and myself as an author. And don't forget to Review :P And, as always, have a nice day!_


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